The community of Hulett, near Carrollton, is rapidly being lost to urbanization. The old school closed in 1950 and at one point served as a community center.
Hulett School, Carroll County
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Category Archives: –CARROLL COUNTY GA–
Chattahoochee River at Acorn Bluff, Carroll County
Though this beautiful bluff on the Chattahoochee isn’t actually named on maps, it’s located within the site of Chief William McIntosh’s plantation known as Acorn Bluff [Lochau Talofau].
McIntosh Mounting Stone, 1810s-1820s, Carroll County
This mounting block is perhaps the most important surviving contemporary relic of Lockchau Talofau [Acorn Bluff] , Chief McIntosh’s property along the Chattahoochee. A tablet near the stone notes: Hewn from West Georgia Limestone, the McIntosh Stone represents a significant time in the state’s history, as well as that of Carroll County. Chief William H. McIntosh of the Lower Creek tribe had the stone carved to help guests mount horses and board carriages here at Lockchau Talofau- or Acorn Bluff- his home on the Chattahoochee River.
The stone remained on this site from the time of McIntosh’s death in 1825 until 1916, when Carroll County Times editor J. J. Thomasson conceived the idea of relocating it to the campus of the Fourth District Agricultural and Mechanical School- today the University of West Georgia.
Seeing the stone’s historical significance as a local and Native American artifact, Thomasson lobbied Preston S. Arkwright, president of Georgia Railway and Power Company [now known as Georgia Power], which owned the land at the time, for permission to move it. Arkwright agreed.
In the summer of 1916, Thomasson enlisted the help of J. H. Melson, president of the Fourth District A. & M. The two men, along with several others, retrieved the stone in a horse-drawn wagon. According to the book From A & M to State University: A History of the State University of West Georgia, the stone became the cornerstone of Adamson Hall, a new women’s dormitory. It later was moved to a prominent area along Front Campus Drive from where it inspired West Georgia College’s logo that was used in the 1970s and 1980s.
In 2017, the University agreed to loan the stone to the county for display here at McIntosh Reserve.
Grave of Tustunnuggee Hutkee, Carroll County
William H. McIntosh, Jr., was born circa 1778 in Coweta, a Lower Creek town in present-day Alabama, to Captain William McIntosh, a Scotsman of Savannah, and Senoya, a Creek of the Wind Clan. He spoke the languages of both his parents and was also known as Tustunnuggee Hutkee “White Warrior“. [There are numerous spellings of Tustunnuggee Hutkee.] The McIntosh family was prominent in early Georgia, and William, Jr., was a first cousin of Governor George Troup. Such connections helped ensure his rise to prominence within tribal and state politics. His loyalty was to the United States above all, at the expense of his own Native American relations. McIntosh married three women: Susannah Coe, a Creek; Peggy, a Cherokee; and Eliza Grierson, a mixed-race Cherokee.
M’Intosh, a Creek Chief by Charles Bird King in History of the Indian Tribes of North America…McKenney & Hall, Philadelphia, 1838, Public domain.
Chief McIntosh’s support of General Andrew Jackson in the Creek Indian War and the First Seminole War began a long period of tension between McIntosh and tribal leaders. His signing of the Treaty of Indian Springs in 1825, which called for the removal of virtually all Creeks from their ancestral lands, precipitated his assassination by a group of Upper Creek Law Menders. On 30 April 1825 Chief Menawa and 200 warriors led a surprise early morning attack on Lochau Talofau, setting fires around the dwellings and subsequently shooting and stabbing to death McIntosh and Coweta Chief Etomme Tustunnuggee. Ironically, McIntosh had himself supported a provision to the Code of 1818 in which the National Creek Council imposed a sentence of death to those who took ancestral lands without full tribal consent.
His burial stone, placed in 1921 by the Daughters of the American Revolution on the grounds of his plantation, Lochau Talofau, is now accompanied by a standard military-issued headstone, denoting his position and military service. Chief McIntosh achieved the rank of Brigadier General during the Creek Indian War. The birth date of 1775 listed on the headstone is an estimate.
Bowen Family Cemetery, 1830s, Carroll County
This fascinating cemetery is located in the McIntosh Reserve Park, a property associated with Chief William McIntosh and maintained as public land by Carroll County.
The Bowen family were pioneers in this area and likely had some association with Chief McIntosh.
The earliest discernible burial in the cemetery dates to 1830.
Though many names have been lost over time, this cemetery is important not only for its historical connection to early settlers but for its limestone slab [or other local stone?] tombs, which are quite rare today.
It’s a well-preserved example of a family burying ground utilizing materials on hand and offers a fascinating glimpse into the funerary practices of early-19th century rural Georgia
R. E. Ringer General Merchandise, 1927, Carroll County
This tin-sided false front store should get your attention if you’re traveling on US Highway 27, just south of Carrollton. A sign on the building indicates that the store operated from 1927-1957. Like the Johnson Sweet Potato barn, another roadside icon located nearby, the Ringer Store’s Coca-Cola signs and murals have been repainted.
Jackson Warehouse, Lowell
Because it’s essentially on the back lot of the L. H. Jackson General Merchandise store, I’m tentatively identifying this as the Jackson Warehouse. It’s likely where feed and other agricultural supplies were stored.
Jackson General Store, Lowell
L. H. Jackson General Merchandise was likely the main store in the crossroads community of Lowell, which had a post office from 1878-1903. It is very typical of late-19th and early-20th-century stores in Georgia. The Coca-Cola mural, though faded significantly, is an amazing survivor.
W. E. Johnson Sweet Potato Barn, 1940, Carroll County
If you’ve traveled US Highway 27 anywhere near Carrollton, you’ve likely noticed this barn, one of the most-photographed barns in Georgia. It advertises W. E. Johnson’s sweet potato curing and storage business. The Coca-Cola advertising has been tastefully restored.
Dick Kelly wrote, via our Vanishing Georgia Facebook group: I was born in 1942 and lived my early childhood a few miles south at the Centralhatchee community at my grandfather Burson’s home. Grandad and W. E. (Tater) Johnson were good friends and traded various and sundry items as did most country folk during that era. I remember, as a toddler, going with granddad in the horse and wagon to visit Tater to do their trading…Tater Johnson built the structure in 1940. The building incorporated a slated floor and sub-floor heating ducts, to regulate airflow, temperature, and humidity to cure sweet potatoes faster so that they would last through the cold winter. The storage house, with its brightly painted Coca-Cola advertisements, is still one of the most photographed landmarks in West Georgia…A local man, along with Coke officials, arranged for the creation of a collectible bottle honoring the Sweet Potato House. The bottles were sold for $15 each, and all 960 of them were sold out within 35 minutes. Sales of the bottle helped pay for the restoration of this landmark…Johnson’s Sweet Potato Curing Shed also has another claim to fame in this part of the state. The site at one time was a drop-off for area students attending Berry College in Rome, and this resulted in U.S. 27 being named Martha Berry Highway…
J. K. Roop House, Circa 1860, Roopville
Now a fully restored public event space, the John King (J. K.) Roop House is a great example of community involvement in restoration. The following history and much more information can be found at their website.
The first Roop to live in the southwestern area of Carroll County was Martin Roop, the father of John King (J.K.) Roop whom we consider to be the founding father of Roopville. Martin grew up, met and married Mary Elizabeth King (1839), while they were still living in Union County, SC. In the 1850’s they moved to the area where Roopville now stands. Martin and Elizabeth had 11 children.
J.K. was the oldest son of Martin and Elizabeth Roop. In 1861 he enlisted in the Confederate Army serving in both Company D of the First Regiment of Georgia Infantry and in Phillips Legion Calvary. He married Eliza Moore in 1872. To this union were born 5 children. J.K. became the owner of over 2000 acres of land, much of which he donated to enhance the growth of the area. He built several stores, a mill, a blacksmith shop and homes which he would sell to new people coming into the area. J.K. was a charter member of Roopville Baptist Church, Worshipful Master of Goshen Lodge 71, in 1880 and he served on the Carroll County Board of Education.
